[theme-reviewers] Are "page templates" allowed ?

[Otto]

I think that this question seems more complicated than it actually is,
because of an inherent disconnect between the idea of "presentation" and
"functionality" in the minds of a lot of theme authors.

What is a "Contact" page, exactly? Let's examine this. :)

A Contact page would necessarily have contact information on it, like name,
email, perhaps address and phone number, maybe a map, etc. Now, directly,
this seems like something for a Page Template. You have fields, you display
those fields in specific ways, etc.

But, how exactly is this any different than a normal Page? A user can quite
easily just make a page and type their information into the post content
box for that Page. Having specific "fields" for each of these actually
limits the functionality more than simply giving them a freeform space to
put whatever content they like. A Page Template displaying specific fields
limits the user to using only those fields, or it limits them as to how
those fields are displayed on the page.

So rethink it a bit, a Contact Page Template might have specific
functionality to display a map, for example, and having a field to put in
an address would be useful for that map. But a user might want a map on
other pages too. Perhaps a map widget would be more appropriate in such a
case, and the page template would be better served providing a special
layout to allow them to place larger widgets than normal instead.

Page Templates work best when they're special in terms of the layout they
offer, not just necessarily in terms of their intended use. A contact page,
when you break it down, probably is more "boxy" than a normal page with a
sidebar. Contact information is fairly narrow on the page, after all, so a
narrower content space and a wider sidebar for any widgets desired would be
preferable. Integration with a contact form plugin (or multiple plugins) is
possible as well, and that narrows the purpose of the template too. A page
template that simply offered a 50/50 split between content and sidebar
would work for a lot of other possible uses too.

I can see why it's tempting to make a system where a user puts in
information X and it is displayed specifically in space Y, but this reduces
the flexibility of the template. Instead of making it so limiting to a
specific format, perhaps broadening the scope would be better. Give them a
content space that fits with contact information without limiting the
format in which they create their contact information.

Thoughts?

-Otto




On Thu, Aug 21, 2014 at 12:44 PM, emin ozlem <eminozlem at gmail.com> wrote:

> I've looked into guidelines and forums but couldnt find the answer. Btw,
> where am i supposed to ask these kind of questions instead of emailing
> whole maillist ?
>
> So, are page templates allowed in wp themes dir, i mean like a contact
> page, page-contact.php which would show contact info from theme options
> like address, email, phone etc. A google map, and maybe a contact 7 form
> (not builtin of course-recommended).
>
> _______________________________________________
> theme-reviewers mailing list
> theme-reviewers at lists.wordpress.org
> http://lists.wordpress.org/mailman/listinfo/theme-reviewers
>
>
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